Attachment for cotton gins



1956 s. GARRISON ETAL ATTACHMENT FOR COTTON ems Filed July 15, 1954 R v m ML m N TL R E 5 O W RT MA R A a GG A H 2 W m M 5 Fm Y B 4 MA Null 1 Q0550 Fo/z AuroMAT/c //5 Von-5 United States Patent ATTACHMENT FOR COTTON GINS Smith Garrison, Shafter, and Freddie G. Staton and Elwon B. Sill, Wasco, Calif.

Application July 13, 1954, Serial No. 442,948

3 Claims. (CI. 19-55) This invention relates to cotton gins, and more particularly to an attachment therefor which renders the operation of the gin substantially automatic.

In general, a ginning company will operate a plurality of gins which are arranged in side by side relation and have a common overhead feed means to deliver seed cotton to the feed hopper of each individual gin. This type of setup requires substantially constant attention on the part of the employees to insure that the feed hoppers for each gin are full at all times. Under present practice When the feed hopper of a particular machine becomes empty, the attendant will promptly disengage the breast from the saws. Disengaging the breast from the saws is now commonly referred to in the cotton ginning art as raising the breast, and this terminology will be followed throughout the specification and claims. This is an important distinction because about twenty to thirty years ago raising the breast meant nothing more than raising a pivoted flap member which overlies the breast and saws. See for example, U. S. Letters Patent to Hooton, No. 1,429,947, of September 26, 1922. The reason for raising the breast when the feed hopper empties is to prevent the saws from working on the cotton in the roll boX. If the breast is not raised, the saws will continue to work the roll until it is entirely gone. Should this happen it requires a substantial time to build up another roll in the box and the gin will not function properly until the roll has again built up to about sixty pounds. Conventional cotton gins include a hand-operated lever mounted on the side of the machine for this specific purpose. In the past, there have been a number of proposals for mechanically, hydraulically or electrically operating the breast raising mechanism. All have failed to enjoy any substantial com mercial success for one reason or another.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide an electrically driven attachment for a cotton gin which will automatically disengage the breast from the saws in response to the absence of cotton in the feed hopper.

It is a further object of this invention to provide in the feed hopper a sensing means which will furnish a control for the breast lifting mechanism.

It is a further object of this invention to provide for automatically lifting the feeder gate coincident with the lifting of the breast.

Another object is to provide a breast lifting mechanism which will positively lock the breast in either its raised or lowered position.

A complete understanding of the invention may be had from reading the following specification in conjunction with the attached sheet of drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view in side elevation showing the cotton sensing means in the feed hopper;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view in side elevation showing the attachment for operating the breast lifting mechamsm;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in Figure 2;

2,760,236 Patented Aug. 28, 1956 Figure 4 is a side elevational view showing the feeder gate raising mechanism, and

Figure 5 is a schematic wiring diagram of the basic control circuit.

Referring first to Figure l of the drawings, there is shown a counterbalanced baffle plate 1 pivotally mounted to one wall of the feed hopper. Attached to the outer end of the bafile plate 1 is an arm 2. Mounted above and adjacent to the pivotal connection of the baflle plate is a switch member 3. It will be seen that movement of the bafile plate 1 causes the arm 2 to engage the switch member 3 and urge it in one direction or the other as it swings about its pivot point.

Referring now to Figures 2 and 3, which show a preferred embodiment of the breast lifting mechanism of this invention, the conventional breast lifting lever 7 is shown connected by a pair of arms 9 and 4 to a rotating portion of an electric motor 8. As a practical matter, the motor 8 should include a reduction gear box so that the rotating shaft to which the arm 4 is connected will have a rotational speed of the order of eight revolutions per minute. Obviously the actual speed is not critical but should be considerably less than the rotor speed of conventional electric motors. The linkage above described is shown in both the breast-raised and breast-lowered positions, the latter being the dotted line showing. Note that the linkage is so designed that the arm 4 passes over a dead center position in order that the breast lifting mechanism will be substantially locked at either end of its path of travel. This is an important feature from the safety standpoint because it allows an attendant to free an obstruction from the saws or breast without the chance of the breast being accidentally lowered.

The reference numerals 5 and 6 indicate a pair of limit switches which are engaged by the linkage at either end of its path of travel in order to remove power from the electric motor, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

Whenever the breast of :a cotton gin is raised, it is also practically essential so to position the feeder gate that it will prevent any loose material in the roll box from running down into the rotating saws. It will also prevent the accumulation in the roll box of any small additional quantities of seed cotton from the feeder. Small amounts, while insufiicient to trip the breast engager, would tend to build up in the roll box. This results in the roll box being too tightly packed. Figure 4 shows a simple mechanism for coordinating the movements of the feeder gate with the raising and lowering of the breast. The raised position is shown in dotted line. The breast has pivoted to its upper cover 11, an arm member 12, which in turn is pivotally connected to a second arm member 13, the opposite end of which is rigidly connected to the feeder gate 14. It will be obvious, therefore, that whenever the breast is raised to the dotted line position, the feeder gate 'and the interconnecting linkage will also occupy the position shown in dotted lines.

Referring now to the schematic wiring diagram shown in Figure 5, the reference numerals therein correspond to the diagrammatic showing of the physical embodiment of various parts of the circuit shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3. The motor 8 is shown as a conventional single phase alternating current motor having a pair of windings 15 and 16 which are interconnected with a reversing switch in order that the motor may be caused to rotate in either direction. As shown, the breast lifting mechanism may be electrically operated either automatically, in response to the presence or absence of raw cotton in the feed hopper, or it may be manually operated through the switch 10. The switch 10 includes a forward and a reverse button as well as a selector button which may be placed in one position for manual operation, and in an- "ice other position for automatic operation. The selector button contacts are shown in the schematic wiring diagram at 17 and 18. When the contact 18 is closed, the circuit is conditioned: for manual operation, and: when the contact 17 is closed, the circuit, is; conditioned. for automatic operation The reversing: switch. contacts 19, 2t 21, 22, 23 and 24 are controlled by a pair of sole.- noids 25 and 26... Assuming then. that the contact 18 of the selector switch. is, closed, and the circuit thus conditioned; for manual operation, momentary: depressing the forward button of, the switch 10. energizes the solenoid 26 which closes, contacts 19 22 and 23. The motorthen turns in one direction until. the linkage: shown in Figures 2. and 3 operates: the, limitswitchS which lie-- moves power from the. moton. Whenever the opposite direction of rotation is desired, the reverse button. of switch 10 is depressed which energizes the solenoid 25 to close contacts 21 and. 24. The motor will then run in the, reverse direction until; the linkage. shown. in Figures. 2. and 3 operates. the. limit switch 6 to. de-energize thev solenoid and remove power from the; motor.

If the circuit has. been conditioned for. automatic operation by closing the contact 17, the operation is as follows:

If: the feed hopper shown. in Figure 1 is full of seed cotton, the baffle plate 1 will occupy its dottedline position. In order to go from, its full to its dotted line position it will first close contact 30 of switch 3 .and the motor 8 will be energized to place the breast in lowered or ginning position. As soon, however, as the supply of raw cotton in the hopper is. exhausted, the: baflie plate will swing to. the full line position shown in Figure l, and in so doing will close the contact 31 which causes the motor 8 to turn in the-opposite direction to disengage the breast from the saws andat the same time raise the feeder gate shown in Figure 4 to its dotted line position.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that there is disclosed herein a new and useful attachment for cotton gins, rendering the operation thereof substantially fully automatic. Whenever the feed. hopper of a particular gin is full, the breast and saws remain engaged in ginning position, and whenever the feed hopper empties, the. breast is automatically disengaged until, such time, as additional 4 raw cotton feed is placed in the hopper, whereupon the breast will be returned to ginning position. It will be further apparent that there will be many variations of the mechanism shown all within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for processing seed cotton comprising in combination: a cotton gin, including a breast, movable by means of a manual operating handle, between active and inactive positions; a. feed hopper through which raw cotton is supplied to. the gin; sensing. means to detect the presence of cotton in the feed hopper; an electric motor mounted adjacent the gin; mechanical means positively interconnecting the. manual operating handle of the gin breast and the shaft of the motor; means controlled by said sensing means for causing rotation of said motor in a direction to raise the breast in response to the absence oi cotton in the feed hopper; and limit: switch meansconnected incircuit. with said motor to stop the.

3. Apparatus as defined by claim. 1, in which themeans.

interconnecting thev manual. operating. handle of the gin breast. and the shaft of. the motor includes. a straight bar mechanical. linkage which. passes. through a. dead center position. for. positively holding the. breast in its raised position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED. STATES PATENTS.

1,163,946 Murphy Dec. 14, 1915 1,259,034 Milam Mar. 12, 19:18 1,429,942 Hooton Sept. 26, 1922 2,090,543 McClintock Aug. 1:7, 1937- 2,187,673 Wallace Jan. 1.6, 19.40. 2,435,440 Graham Feb. 3, 1948 2,655,695 Ford on. 20, 19-53 

